Cunningham's Earth Power books

I bought these books quite early on with my research, and I recently had a request to review them.

The first thing I would say is that although you can read them separately, they complement each other, so it's a good idea to buy them together if you're able to. Although both discuss some of the same subject areas, particularly how to use the main four elements, they describe different spells in both, so you won't be wasting your money. Cunningham discusses "low" magic, he doesn't detail any long, complex spells or rituals, or require you to contact any deities. But in my opinion, this only makes these books better for beginners, as they don't require many items and are extremely simple. One of his spells only requires you to lean against a tree, for instance.

As you might expect, Earth Power is the most basic of the two in terms of the breadth of the natural world that is included. Aside from the main four elements, it discusses stone, tree, image, knot, candle, wax, mirror, weather and sea magic. The second book, Earth, Air, Fire and Water, discusses most of the same subjects, with the addition of akasha (the fifth element) and star, wishing well, snow and ice magic. Both include a section on the basics of how to use magic and have useful appendices on things like herbs, runes, colours and symbols (not all of those subjects are covered in both books, though). The only complaint I have about the appendices is that it isn't made clear that the runes presented are not all from one of the Norse alphabets.

Overall, I think these books are a great introduction to spell work, particularly if you don't feel ready to do a ritual or a big spell. Even if you are more experienced, the breadth of these works may still make them a useful addition to your collection.

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